Horse-blanket



(No Model.)

J. 11'. BAILEY. HORSE BLANKET.

No. 554,244. 4 Patented P4511, 1896.

ANDREW B GYRANAM FHUTOUTHQWASNINGTONJ C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JAMES II. DAILEY, OF BURLINGTON, \VISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE BURLINGTON BLANKET COMPANY, OF \VISOONSIN.

HORSE-BLANKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,244, dated February 11, 1896. Application filed September 13, 1894; Serial No. 522,888. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMEs H. DAILEY, of Burlington, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse-Blankets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. I

My invention relates particularly to that class of horse-blankets which have stays or hands for holding themon the animal permanently attached to the blanket. Its main objects are to facilitate the engagement and disengagement of the fastenin gs with which said bands or stays are provided, and to provide a connecting-support between the blanket and the hook or snap on one of the breast-stays, whereby one of the front edges of the blanket on the under side of the neck will be caused to overlap the other without interfering with the manipulation of the fastenings by which the breast-stays are attached to each other.

It consists essentially of the peculiar means and manner of attaching the bands or stays together with their fastenings to a blanket, as hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a horse blanket or cover to which my improvements are applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section through one of the front sides of the blanket or cover, and the supporting connection between it and the snap-hook of the breast-stay; and Fig. 3 is afront elevation of the overlapping front edges of the blanket or cover, showing a portion of the breast-stays and their fastenings as engaged with each other.

My improvements are particularly applicable to stable-blankets provided with bands and stays of fabric permanently stitched thereto, and with fastenings of the general character shown in Reissue Patent No. 11,427, dated July 3, 1894. In the practical use of these blankets I have found that it is troublesome and difficult to engage the snap-hooks with the rings of the bands and stays, particularly when the blankets and the bands and stays are new and stiff or the hands are cold,

because the cross-bands are attached to the stays are attached so close to the blanket, one

on the outside and the other on the inside, that it is necessary in engaging and disengaging them to pass the hands back of the blanket through the throat-opening, and even then it is found difficult and troublesome to manipulate the fastenings.

The purpose of my improvements is, primarily, to overcome these difficulties and to se curely hold the snap-hook of the breast-stay and the adjacent edge of the blanket in place underneath the opposite edge.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a blanket or cover, which may be made of any suitable material.

B B are the cross-bands, arranged to pass around the body of the animal, and provided at the ends with snap-hooks b b and rings 11 b. Thesnap-hooks are preferably attached to the bands by adjustable fastenings, such as the slides 19?, commonly employed for the purpose, so that the length of the bands may be varied for use with animals of different sizes.

C O are breast-stays extending from points at or near the front edges of the blanket rearwardly in a horizontal direction and preferably crossing the cross-bands B B, as shown. They are provided one with a snap-hook c and the other with a ring 0. These bands and stays are preferably made of some washable fabric, and are permanently stitched to the blanket; but they may be made, so far as my improvements are concerned, of other material and secured by other means to the blanket.

to which snap-hooks are attached, are made of sufficient length to pass around underneath the animal and meet the opposite ends, to which the rings are attached, on one side a The ends of the cross-bands B I short distance below the breast-stay 0. They are stitched, as shown, or otherwise permanently secured to the blanket above and between the breast-stays (J- C, but the ends to which the rings Z) Z) are attached are not attached to the blanket and extend a sufficient distance below the breast-stay C to afford a convenient hand-hold for the purpose of en gaging or disengaging said rings with the snap-hooks b b.

The breast-stays C O are stitched or otherwise permanently attached to the blanket over the cross-bands B 13. 4

The snap-hook c is located a short distance to the rear of the front edge of the blanket and is hooked into a perforated car 61, of leather or other suitable material, which is permanently attached to the front edge of the blanket, preferably by stitching it under a marginal fold or binding-strip a. By this means the snap-hook is firmly supported in place, and the adjacent front edge of the blanket is carried and held inside of the opposite overlapping; front edge to which the other breast-stay is attached. A suffieient opening is also allowed behind the snap-hook between it and the blanket to receive two or more fingers of the hand, and thus facilitate its engagement and disengagement with the ring 0, which is preferably arranged to project slightly over the opposite overlapping edge of the blanket, as shown.

The arrangement of the cross-bands and breast-stays, and manner of attaching them to the blanket hcreinbefore described, not only facilitate the manipulation of the fastenings, but also reinforces and strengthens the blanket, the breast-stays extending over or across said bands and distributing the strain. \Vhile the fastenings are sufficiently free from the blanket to be readily accessible and easily manipulated, their connection therewith is such as to securely hold the blanket in place upon an animal. For the fastenings I have shown ordinary snap-hooks and D-rings, but other suitable forms may be employed in their place.

I claim 1. A blanket or cover having breast-stays permanently attached thereto, one of said stays being provided with a hook and the other with a ring, and a flexible support for the hook attached to the blanket and adapted to hold said hook and the adjacent front edge of the blanket in place and to admit the insertion of the hand or fingers back of the hook between it and the blanket, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A blanket or cover having breast-stays and one or more cross-bands permanently attached thereto, and provided with hooks and rings for fastening them together on an animal, the cross-bands extending below the breast-stays on both sides and having portions of their ends next to said hooks and rings detached and free from the blanket, and a flexible support for the hook of the breast-stays attached to the blanket, so as to admit of passing the hand or fingers back of said hook, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES II. DAILEY.

Witnesses:

CHAS. L. Goss, M. L. EMERY. 

